Film for a newbie?

[Agulliver]

I am not familiar with the camera but looking at it's specs I would agree with going for 400ISO C41 colour film to begin with, which ever you can get the cheapest to ensure the camera is working. Depending on location and luck that could be Kodak Ultramax 400, Fuji Superia X-tra 400 or Lomography 400. Don't dabble with Portra until you know for sure it's working. Consider Kodak Color Plus (200) and Fuji C200 if you can get them nice and cheap, and shoot in reasonably bright outdoor light to begin with.

Check the camera is working. Any of the current 400ISO films will be fine at f16 and 1/250 unless you point the camera right into the sun. The ability of modern C41 film to be very tolerant of under and over exposure is great. So my advice is to buy the cheapest you can in your area and give it a go. Shoot a variety of subjects and see how it works for you.

As for consumer B&W film being dead, that's just snobbery. As my local physical camera shop will tell anyone, they are selling lots of B&W film to regular consumers. It helps that they process it but the idea that it is in any way "dead" is simply ludicrous. If you want to try B&W, which is a *lot* of fun, consider the most versatile films to be any of the 400 ISO offerings from Kodak (Tri-X, T-Max 400) or Ilford (HP5+, Delta 400). Kentmere 400 (made by the same company who own Ilford) is often cheaper and great for starting out.

 

[AgX]

Darkroom supplies and equipment are not sold to users of "consumer" film.

The term consumer is very differently used. There were times when a still film range was split into a consumer and a professinal range. But there also was a time when at Agfa anything connected to still phototography was designated consumer.

 

[foc]

I hope the OP hasn't been frightened off by talk of consumer B&W , darkroom etc.

I can only add to the advise already given, find a local lab if possible and see what economical 400 speed film they have in colour. Try the colour film first and then later try B&W (crawl before you walk).

But the most important thing is not Fuji Xtra 400 or Kodak Max 400 or HP5 or Tri X.

The most important this is to have fun with your camera, the rest will follow.

 

[grain elevator]

I was quoting the review. Maybe you have a different lens. But the review says the lens only goes to f/16 and 1/250 which might overexposure in bright sunlight with ISO400 film. (using the rule of f/16).

This one stop of overexposure doesn't matter with most negative film. In fact it may be beneficial in many situations, when there are shadows present. ISO 400 film should work fine even in full sun.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I just purchased my very first film camera, a Smena Symbol!! My family did a little trip down memory lane browsing tons of photos taken by my mom back in the late 90s to early 2000s and it just got me thinking that I would want to have that much memories documented too.


I have zero experience with film cameras so I have no clue on the basics when it comes to choosing film. I’ve done some reading but would want opinions and interactive discussion about it as well. Are there hard and fast rules regarding stuff like, Which is better to use in daytime/nighttime? What is more applicable for outdoor/indoor? Or how to balance film and camera setting? (If that even makes sense I’m still familiarizing myself with the terminologies).


Any input will be appreciated thank you!

Where in Asia do you live? Are there film developing shops that will process your film? Or do you intend to process the film yourself?

 

[Ernst-Jan]

I would start with the cheapest 400 color film you can find and shoot with it until the results satisfy you. Get the film processed the old fashioned way with prints of every frame. Color or B&W doesn't make much difference but it is hard to get B&W processed these days: consumer B&W is a dead end of the side of a dead end in the consumer market.

Don't forget Ilford XP2!

 

[nootnoot]

On top of familiarizing myself with shutter speed, aperture, iso, latitude etc for the past couple of days, I’ve also been reading all of your suggestions and everything is actually making me excited!


The cheapest I found so far are Kodak Ultramax 400, Lomography 400, and Fuji Superia X-tra 400.


There are a number of labs here in the Philippines when I googled although I haven’t checked reviews in terms of quality.


I’m still currently doing a little more research where to sustainably source film but the cheapest ones I’ve seen are around $9.


I would just like to thank you all for taking the time to share your expertise the film community is indeed a passionate bunch!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Developing ones own film is as easy as falling off a motor cycle. It is making the enlargements without an enlarger that is more challenging. That is where scanning and the use of a computer comes into play for many.